myownbuddha

Nietzsche: You speak of becoming free. Suppose you knew with absolute certainty that nobody would ever know what you did, achieved, or failed to achieve. What would you still choose to do? Pushpendra: I would stop being anxious and defensive in arguments. I would stop hatred and jealousy. I would continue understanding philosophers, visiting new places, helping others through my work, connecting with nature, reading philosophy, meditating, and loving my family. Nietzsche: And why continue those things if nobody could admire you? Pushpendra: Because they make me free. I want to live each moment of life rather than live for recognition. Nietzsche: You say you want freedom. But perhaps these things are merely ways of escaping something within yourself. Pushpendra: My defensiveness is an obstacle to truth and to understanding the self. I don't want to protect an image of myself as knowledgeable or reasonable. I want to overcome the ego that makes me defensive even over small matt...

A girl, not older than nine or ten years, was looking out of the glass window of her air-conditioned train compartment. The train was speeding through the scorching heat of an Indian summer. As she watched the world passing by, her eyes suddenly stopped at the other train's coach in front of hers. "Dad," she asked innocently, "why are people sitting on the stairs of that train? Why are they not sitting inside?" Her father looked outside. It was the general coach, overcrowded with passengers. People were standing shoulder to shoulder. Some were hanging near the doors, while others sat on the metal steps, exposed to the burning sun and hot winds. The father replied immediately, "They cannot afford the ticket for an AC coach. They are poor and have not earned enough in their lives. My girl, you need to work hard so that you can enjoy the best that life has to offer and never face such situations." He continued, "You must study well, work hard in scho...